Soulmates...
by Melime-Elvenstar
Summary: Buffy goes back in time to Galway, Ireland to when Angel was human. She has to make a decision whether or not to tell him that if he goes into the ally he will be sired.
1. Chapter 1

1 Title: Soulmates…  
  
Author: +Faith+  
  
E-mail: fate_exists@optusnet.com.au  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: You all know these characters don't belong to me! They belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, FOX, The WB, etc…  
  
Author's comments: Give me feedback and give me a happy!! (  
  
Summery: Buffy goes back in time to Galway, Ireland to when Angel was human. She has to make a decision whether or not to tell him that if he goes into the ally he will be sired. This is in relpy to a challenge from Soulmates Eternal.  
  
1.1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
1.2 Part One… - Sunnydale, CA. 2000  
  
Buffy Summers sat in her college dorm, mindlessly doodling on a piece of paper, when her roommate, Willow Rosenburg burst in the door, excitedly shaking an old, worn book at Buffy.  
  
"Guess what Buffy! I have great news! Wait.." Willow stopped, thought about it for a second, then changed her remark.  
  
"Well, sorta good news. I guess is kinda bad as well, considering.." Willow stopped, interrupted by the sound of her best-friend laughing.  
  
"What??" She asked indignantly.  
  
Still laughing at her best-friend's blabbering, Buffy replied, "Can you tell me what the news is?"  
  
"Oh! Yeah, I suppose that would be a good idea huh?"  
  
Willow suddenly realised what Buffy had been laughing at and joined in, then became serious again.  
  
"Tara and I found a spell today…a spell to go back in time." Willow stopped, waiting to see Buffy's reaction.  
  
"That's great Will, but how does that concern me? You know I couldn't cast a spell if my life depended on it."  
  
"Don't you see Buffy? You could go back in time, stop Angel from being sired and stop all those innocent people from dying!"  
  
Buffy suddenly realised what Willow was talking about, and the shock at the idea registered on her face.  
  
"Buff? Are you ok?"  
  
But Buffy was in her own thoughts. She knew that going back and changing Angel's past was the right thing to do…that by stopping him being sired, she would stop Spike, Drusilla and many other vampires being sired also, thereby saving millions of lives but, could she really do that? Stopping him from becoming a vampire would mean that he would die a human death and all their pasts would be changed completely, hers mostly. She would never meet him, never get to kiss his cold lips, never hold his cool hand, never…  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
Willow's voice cut into Buffy's thoughts like a knife. Her voice was almost a whisper when she answered…  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Are you okay? We don't have to do it you know. It was just a thought…"  
  
…never have to watch him torture her friends, never have to send him to hell…  
  
"Buffy, forget it okay. It was a stupid idea. Of course you would never want to do that. You would never meet him. Stupid idea thought up by stupid me…"  
  
… never have to watch Giles' pain at losing Jenny…That thought made her decision for her.  
  
"Let's do it Will."  
  
Willow looked at her friend in shock.  
  
"What?! Buffy, I…"  
  
"I said, let's do it Willow. I have a chance to change everything. To stop Spike and Dru being sired, to stop innocent people dying, to stop Jenny from dying…"  
  
"Buffy, you don't have to do this. Just forget I mentioned it ok?"  
  
"No Will. If you won't help me, I'll go to Giles. He will."  
  
Willow looked at her friend. She had known her for quite a few years now and she knew, just by looking at her friends face, that she was not going to let this go. She would do this no matter what it took and know matter how hurt she herself got in the process.  
  
Willow sighed.  
  
"Ok Buffy. But only if you promise me, that you are DEAD CERTAIN that you want to do this, that you are not doing this because you feel you have to. The past can stay the same… it doesn't matter."  
  
Buffy looked at Willow. No matter how close they were, she knew that she could never tell her how much this really hurt her.  
  
"I'm sure Will. Let's do this."  
  
"Okay. I'll ring Tara and tell her to come over with the things we need."  
  
Buffy watched her friend walk over to the phone, then turned away, tears in her eyes as she looked at the sliver Claddaugh ring resting on her finger…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	2. Chapter 2 and 3

1.1 Part Two… - Sunnydale, CA. 2000  
  
Buffy closed her eyes…the moment was here.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this Buffy?"  
  
Buffy nodded, the lump in her throat preventing her from speaking.  
  
"Ok then. Now, remember that you can't tell him who you are and even if you did, he wouldn't know you. He has no idea what you two have been through because it hasn't happened yet. He probably has no idea that vampires even exist, so remember that too. Ok…"  
  
Willow took a deep breath.  
  
"Here we go…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part Three… - Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
Buffy's eyes fluttered open to see a tall, dark, handsome young man in front of her.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Angel? No miss, I'm no angel! My name is Liam."  
  
The young man spoke with a strong Irish accent and his breath smelt lightly of whisky.  
  
"Oh, I…I'm sorry. You look a lot like an old friend of mine…"  
  
Buffy tried to sit up, but failed, falling backwards into the arms of the young man. The arms she knew so well…  
  
"Careful there miss!"  
  
He helped her up gently.  
  
"You've had quite a fall! You're going to have a lump on your head tomorrow and I must say, I don't envy you!"  
  
He smiled impishly at her. That smile…  
  
"As for your earlier comment miss, we could never have met because I would surely not forget such a pretty face."  
  
Buffy smiled weakly at him. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought! She had not been prepared to actually meet him face to face. She had thought she could simply make some diversion to stop him going into that ally but now…  
  
Buffy felt like she was going to fall again but Angel's (no, Liam's! She had to stop thinking about him as Angel!) strong arms held her steady.  
  
"Are you going to be alright miss? Do you need me to walk you home?"  
  
"I don't know where home is" Buffy muttered under her breath.  
  
"What was that miss? I can't quite hear you."  
  
"Never mind. Thank you very much Ang…Liam. I have no idea how I fell."  
  
"That's okay miss. Are you sure you are going to be alright?"  
  
Sure, if I can find somewhere to stay! Buffy realised that she must have arrived before she was supposed to. How much before she had no idea. Suddenly, she remembered something Willow had told her before she had left. There should be people in this time who were almost exactly alike to the people in her time. That means…  
  
"One thing, before you go…Sir."  
  
"Yes miss?"  
  
"Would you be able to tell me where I could find a Mr. Rupert Giles?"  
  
"Professor Giles? Aye miss! Do you wish me to take you there?"  
  
Buffy sighed in relief. Thank you Willow!  
  
"If you could, I would really appreciate it. Thank you."  
  
Liam took Buffy's arm and Buffy felt her heart skip a beat. Stop it you foolish girl! Just do what you have to do and get back to your own time. A time which will no longer include Angel…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	3. Chapter 4

1.1 Part Four… Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
He couldn't stop staring at her.  
  
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He couldn't take his eyes off her…She spoke strangely, granted, but her face, those green eyes…She looked so much like Anne…  
  
"So what was your name miss? If you don't mind me asking."  
  
She didn't look at him when she answered…  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"Buffy? Well there's an unusual name! Pretty though."  
  
They walked on in silence. Liam kept stealing glances at the young woman beside him. He had the strangest feeling he knew her…or should know her…  
  
"So what's such a pretty lady like you doing out alone this time of night?" Liam asked as they walked towards a carriage waiting outside what Buffy figured was the local pub.  
  
"I..umm…I just arrived tonight and umm…I…the person who was supposed to meet me never turned up so I…ah….decided to walk."  
  
Buffy stammered out a flat out lie, hoping that Liam would believe it. He did. Well, he didn't question it at any rate.  
  
They reached the carriage, which Buffy assumed belonged to Liam and he held out his hand to help her up. Their eyes met for a moment and as their fingers touched, it was if an electrical surge rang up Buffy's arm, as if their very touch was enough to speak a thousand words. It was almost like she was with Angel again, that first time they kissed…But then Liam turned away, and the moment was broken.  
  
As Buffy stepped into the elegant carriage, she noticed for the first time that she was no longer wearing her usual, casual, 90's clothes. She was, in fact, wearing a long gown, very much like the one she wore on that fateful Halloween that Ethan Rayan so happily made a horror for them. Now how the Hell did that happen? I don't remember Will telling me anything about little elves that change your clothes for you while you switched times…  
  
Suddenly her thoughts were drawn elsewhere, mainly to the interior of the carriage, which was now moving forward at a relaxed speed. I know Angel said that his family was wealthy in their time, but I would have never guessed they were this wealthy!  
  
The inside of the carriage, or at least what she could see, in the dim light, was beautiful. The wooden sides were sturdy and polished, the seats on which they sat, a rich, red velvet. Wow! Imagine how much clothes I could buy if I had this much money….  
  
"So what do you want with Prof. Giles miss? Is he the person you expected when you arrived?" Liam interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"He's…he's an old friend." And let's hope he'll believe what I'm going to tell him…  
  
Buffy doubted he would. If he was anything like her Giles he would want to check out every detail of her story, to make sure it was true, before taking a risk in helping her. That was fine and all, normally, but she didn't know how much time she had left…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	4. Chapter 5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part Five… – Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
"Here we are miss."  
  
The carriage had pulled up in front of a small cottage. The only light to be seen in the whole house was coming from what Buffy assumed was the study.  
  
"Thank you very much..Liam. I..ah…can take it from here." Seeing the young Irish mans confused look she realised that he probably had no idea what she meant.  
  
"I mean, I'll be fine now. Thank you again and I hope to see you soon."  
  
Buffy suddenly realised that what she had just said probably wasn't acceptable in these times and looked at Liam quickly. She thought she would see a look of disapproval there but all she saw was the feeling strongly returned…  
  
Buffy stepped out of the carriage and walked up to the door of Professor Giles' house. She didn't turn around but she could tell he was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her and she knew he would not leave until she was safely inside.  
  
She knocked on the door nervously, hoping against hope that the man inside would know enough about the magical and demonic worlds to believe her story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part Six… – Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
Professor Rupert Giles rose from his desk where he was studying what he could find on the last demon his Slayer had faced. Who could be at the door at this time of night? Surely it would not be Alexander, this late at night? He was used to late night visits from the young man who had placed himself as the Slayers protector but surely not at 2:00 in the morning? Especially considering the fact that his Slayer should, by now, be resting peacefully…  
  
Opening the door he stopped short at the sight of the young woman in front of him. She looked so much like Anne it was uncanny. It's not Rupert! He reminded himself.  
  
"Yes?" He asked, still in shock.  
  
"Are you Mr. Giles?" the young woman asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. Rupert Giles, Professor of Demonology, at your service ma'am. How may I help you?"  
  
The middle-aged man looked confused as to why a young lady should be looking for him at this time of the night. Maybe she has demon problems…  
  
Buffy almost laughed at the look on the man's face. He was obviously trying to work out why she was there. She *almost* laughed, but stopped, remembering the importance of what she was here for.  
  
"I was wondering if I may speak to you Professor on a matter of much importance." Hey, I'm really beginning to get the hang of this way of speaking! She thought. Cool!  
  
"Certainly, certainly. Come in." He looked back at the carriage. "Won't Master Liam come in too?"  
  
"No, he just gave me a lift, I mean, gave me a ride here. I am pretty sure he will be wanting to get home."  
  
Buffy turned to the carriage and sure enough, Liam was sitting inside watching her. She gave him a little nod, blushing slightly under his intense stare, hoping he would understand her meaning. He seemed to because he shut the carriage door and the horses started off into the night.  
  
Buffy turned back to face to Professor. This is gonna be hard…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	5. Chapter 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part Five… – Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
"Here we are miss."  
  
The carriage had pulled up in front of a small cottage. The only light to be seen in the whole house was coming from what Buffy assumed was the study.  
  
"Thank you very much..Liam. I..ah…can take it from here." Seeing the young Irish mans confused look she realised that he probably had no idea what she meant.  
  
"I mean, I'll be fine now. Thank you again and I hope to see you soon."  
  
Buffy suddenly realised that what she had just said probably wasn't acceptable in these times and looked at Liam quickly. She thought she would see a look of disapproval there but all she saw was the feeling strongly returned…  
  
Buffy stepped out of the carriage and walked up to the door of Professor Giles' house. She didn't turn around but she could tell he was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her and she knew he would not leave until she was safely inside.  
  
She knocked on the door nervously, hoping against hope that the man inside would know enough about the magical and demonic worlds to believe her story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part Six… – Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
Professor Rupert Giles rose from his desk where he was studying what he could find on the last demon his Slayer had faced. Who could be at the door at this time of night? Surely it would not be Alexander, this late at night? He was used to late night visits from the young man who had placed himself as the Slayers protector but surely not at 2:00 in the morning? Especially considering the fact that his Slayer should, by now, be resting peacefully…  
  
Opening the door he stopped short at the sight of the young woman in front of him. She looked so much like Anne it was uncanny. It's not Rupert! He reminded himself.  
  
"Yes?" He asked, still in shock.  
  
"Are you Mr. Giles?" the young woman asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. Rupert Giles, Professor of Demonology, at your service ma'am. How may I help you?"  
  
The middle-aged man looked confused as to why a young lady should be looking for him at this time of the night. Maybe she has demon problems…  
  
Buffy almost laughed at the look on the man's face. He was obviously trying to work out why she was there. She *almost* laughed, but stopped, remembering the importance of what she was here for.  
  
"I was wondering if I may speak to you Professor on a matter of much importance." Hey, I'm really beginning to get the hang of this way of speaking! She thought. Cool!  
  
"Certainly, certainly. Come in." He looked back at the carriage. "Won't Master Liam come in too?"  
  
"No, he just gave me a lift, I mean, gave me a ride here. I am pretty sure he will be wanting to get home."  
  
Buffy turned to the carriage and sure enough, Liam was sitting inside watching her. She gave him a little nod, blushing slightly under his intense stare, hoping he would understand her meaning. He seemed to because he shut the carriage door and the horses started off into the night.  
  
Buffy turned back to face to Professor. This is gonna be hard…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	6. Chapter 7

Part Seven – Galway, Ireland 1753  
  
Buffy was sitting on a rather uncomfortable lounge in the Professors study, waiting for him to come back with the tea he had so kindly offered her. Typical Giles! When in trouble, offer tea.  
  
She looked around the room, seeing shelves and shelves of books on demons, vampires, witches, warlocks, incubi, succubi, and every other demonic or unnatural thing a person could think of. He has more books then Giles! Buffy thought in amazement. Surely he will believe this…  
  
As Rupert entered the room, he watched the young lady in wonder. He could not get over how much she looked like his Slayer, his Anne. It was unbelievable. He prayed to God that Alexander would not decide to come for an early morning visit as he had so often lately. He had a feeling that this young lady would be here for awhile and if Alexander saw her…  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Buffy turned around, startled.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"That's quite fine miss." He handed Buffy her tea and looked into her troubled eyes. "Now do you mind telling me what you are doing turning up at my door at this time of the night, or rather, morning?"  
  
He tried to be angry with her for dropping in so suddenly and so early, but he couldn't stay mad at her, she was too much like Anne. Her mannerisms, the way she held herself, besides, he wasn't sleeping anyway…  
  
Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She knew that she had to tell him but what if he just laughed in her face?  
  
"I know you are going to find this hard to believe but…" Buffy paused, debating whether to tell him or whether to just try and do this herself.  
  
Noticing her hesitation, Rupert tried to reassure her.  
  
"Believe me miss, after all that I have seen, there is not much that I wouldn't believe."  
  
After hearing him say that, and believing it to be true, Buffy decided to just blurt it out.  
  
"I'mfromthefurture."  
  
"What? I believe I just heard you say your were from the future. Are you trying to pull some joke with me? Is that why you were with Liam? Is this part of some big scheme to humiliate me?"  
  
Before Buffy could answer, the front door burst open and Willow came running in.  
  
"Willow!"  
  
Buffy ran over to the girl and went to hug her, then stopped short on the confused look on the girl's face.  
  
"How do you know my name?" The girl's confusion had now turned to suspicion and Buffy realised, as she looked the girl over that this was not her Willow but 18th century Willow. Of course! Stupid girl! Buffy scolded herself. She had, for a moment there, thought that Willow had gone back in time as well, to help her out. Now, looking closer at the girl, Buffy realised that it couldn't be. This girl's hair was long. Longer than Willow's had been, even before she had it cut. She was slightly taller than Willow too.  
  
"I'm sorry, you just remind me of someone from my time, that's all."  
  
"You're time? Rupert, what is this girl talking about?" Willow turned to the Professor in confusion.  
  
"Never mind Willow, I'm not quite sure myself. But what caused you to come in here like the Devil was at your feet?"  
  
"Well he pretty much was Rupert! One of his minions anyway. A Pologara demon. I went out patrolling. I thought that somebody had to, considering…" Willows voice trailed off and her eyes filled with tears.  
  
Suddenly Buffy realised why this man had decided to become a Demon Professor.  
  
"You're a Watcher!"  
  
She had thought it strange that someone in this time would take up demonology but now she realised that he was the current Slayer's Watcher. Or had been. By the sounds of things, something had happened to her, something that didn't sound too pleasant.  
  
"How do you know of Watcher's?" Willow turned to face her sharply, her brown eyes narrowed with suspicion.  
  
"As I was trying to tell the Professor here, I am from the future. In my time, I am the Slayer. That is how I know of Watchers. That is also why I called out to you when you first walked in. You look very much like *MY* friend Willow. And you…" She turned to face Rupert. "Look very much like my Watcher who is called…well…Rupert Giles. The only thing is, he isn't a Professor of Demonology. In fact, he isn't a professor of anything!"  
  
She realised that the two people in the room were looking at her as if she was joking, or mad, or both and she knew she had to find some way to prove it to them… she was running out of time.  
  
"Let me guess. You have a friend name Xander. No, his name would be Alexander; you wouldn't call him Xander in this time. Alexander LaVelle Harris. And there is probably someone around by the name of Cordelia Chase. She's probably rich and extremely snobby. I hope I don't meet her while I'm here. I've had a nice break back home, her being in LA with Angel and all."  
  
Suddenly Buffy thought of something that might just make them believe. If this guy was such a good Professor AND Watcher, he would have surely read something in his musty old books about…  
  
"Angelus!"  
  
"What did you say?" The Watcher looked at her sharply and Buffy knew she had hit the nail on its head.  
  
"Angelus." She repeated. "Surely in all those books of yours there must be something about the vampire Angelus. Why, he is famous in my time!" And a great kisser…  
  
"As a matter of fact there is. But how do you know of him? Surely you can't have read the books containing his name. I have the only copy and besides, it took me years to translate the writings."  
  
I'm sure it did! Buffy thought, remembering how Giles could speak at least 5 different languages.  
  
"As I told you, I am from the future. He is actually the reason I am here. I have come to stop him being sired."  
  
Just then the door opened again, though this time there was a knock before hand. Buffy turned around and looked straight into the eyes of Xander.  
  
The boy froze at the sight of her.  
  
"Anne?"  
  
His voice was barely audible as he whispered the name.  
  
"Don't be fooled Alexander, it is not her. She's gone, it is just someone who looks like her."  
  
Rupert hurried forward, a worried look in his eyes. He knew how much the young man had loved the Slayer, how much pain he had felt when she…left them. He had hoped that Alexander would not meet the strange woman who had come into their lives, knowing that just seeing her would open old wounds…  
  
But he was here now and there was nothing to be done. He saw the dark- haired man blink away tears before turning to face him.  
  
"Who is she then? And what she doing here?"  
  
Buffy sighed. Here we go again. She looked out the window of the study, letting Willow and Rupert tell the story. Suddenly she noticed the sun rising slowly across the sky. Her eyes flicked to the calender above the Watchers desk.  
  
Tonight! She thought in terror. Tonight was the night she must decide whether or not to stop her one true love from ever meeting her at all, whether or not to let him meet Darla out in that darkened ally. Hey, why I'm here, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone, and get rid of Darla as well!  
  
Buffy laughed humourlessly. She knew that it would be hard enough letting go of her Angel, let alone anything else…  
  
She looked towards the three grouped together, whispering the things she could not hear but knew they were saying. They were debating whether or not to believe her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	7. Chapter 8

Part Eight – Galway, Ireland  
  
Buffy opened her mouth, meaning to tell them what she had just worked out but Alexander bet her to it. The boy did not like her, she could tell.  
  
"Even if this is remotely possible, how do we know that you are not just part of some kind of scheme to humiliate us in front of the whole town? Everyone knows that Liam thinks we are all crazy. God knows why Anne loved him. Why else would such a dainty young girl such as yourself be hanging around the town drunkard?"  
  
Wow…to say that he didn't like her was an understatement. If this was her Xander she would be giving him a good talking to right now! But he wasn't, so she couldn't.  
  
"Look, I don't know how to prove to you that I'm not lying. You're just going to have to choose whether to believe me or not. But if you don't hurry up and make up your mind, it will be too late and I will have to do this by myself, which I don't really want to do."  
  
Buffy looked towards Rupert.  
  
"How would I know all these things, huh? I'm guessing that I look a lot like your Slayer, don't I? Well that would probably be because we're the same person, in a weird sort of way. Everyone in this lifetime will die and come back in my time. Except Liam. He will be sired tonight and turn into Angelus, killing many innocent people, unless we stop this from happening." She looked imploringly into the eyes of the people who looked so much like her loved ones back in the year 2000. "Please, you have to believe me!"  
  
"Fine. What exactly do we have to do?" Rupert looked at the young girl, still not quite believing her, but deciding to take a chance.  
  
Buffy let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank God! They believe me!' She thought, then immediately regretted thinking that, realising she spoke too soon…  
  
"Rupert! You're actually going to believe that? It's obvious that Liam is behind this! He blames us for Anne's death and this is his childish way of getting back at us! I am not going to stick around and be humiliated. If you wish to then good luck to you." Alexander to turned to Buffy, a mixture of hurt, anger and pride showing on his face. "You're not a half bad actress miss, but it takes a lot to fool me."  
  
With that, the hurt and angry young man stormed out of the room, leaving silence behind him.  
  
"Wow, even in this time, Xander still hates Angel." Buffy said, trying to lift the tension in the room.  
  
"Pardon?" Rupert removed his glasses, wiping them on his shirt, a gesture that made Buffy think of her own Watcher, probably worrying about her right now…  
  
"Never mind." Buffy looked down at her cup of tea, wondering what was supposed to happen now.  
  
Rupert watched Buffy do this, then looked at Willow, who was still obviously debating whether to stay or follow Alexander's cue and leave. He sighed.  
  
"What did you say your name was miss?"  
  
"I didn't and it is Buffy."  
  
"Oh, well, umm…Buffy, I apologise for Alexander's behaviour. We have all had a lot of pain in our lives lately and he, unfortunately, has taken most of it to heart. He felt very deeply about Anne, our Slayer, and was devesated when she…ah…died. She meant a lot to him, even though she never returned his feelings and umm…" The Watcher stopped to wipe a tear from his eye and clean his glasses again…  
  
"It's ok." Buffy said in a low voice. "You don't have to explain."  
  
"So you say you know Angelus."  
  
Buffy turned in surprise to Willow, who had been silent up until now.  
  
"Umm, yes. Yes, I did." Boy! Is that an understatement!  
  
Buffy could feel her face getting hot and tried to stop it.  
  
"Well, why didn't you just kill him? He's just a vampire. Why did you bother coming all the way back here?"  
  
"Well…" Buffy tried to think of something to say without having to explain her part in Angel's life. "I…"  
  
"I'm sure she's has a reason Willow." Rupert interrupted. "But I would like to ask you a few questions while you are here miss…I mean...Buffy."  
  
"Sure! Shoot!" Buffy said, relived that she didn't have to answer Willows question.  
  
"Shoot?"  
  
"I mean, ask away."  
  
"Well, in the books I have managed to translate, it said something about a vampire with the face of an Angel, which I am guessing is Angelus, being cursed and receiving his soul. Is this true?"  
  
Great! Get out of one bad question and get given another!  
  
"Yes, that is true. Angelus was given a soul by gypsies as a curse, but not before killing many people and siring many vampires."  
  
"So, therefore he was turned, well, almost good, you could say?"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"Right." Rupert walked over to his books, a confused look on his face. "But later on, in later prophecies, he is mentioned as Angelus again. How is this possible?"  
  
Buffy could feel her face reddening again.  
  
"Umm…if Angel, that is what his is known as when he is, well, good, if he received one moment of true happiness, he would lose his soul. He received his one moment and became Angelus again. But then, we kind of found the spell to curse him again. "  
  
"So you gave him back his soul again?"  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
Buffy noticed that Willow was watching her intensely. She wondered what was going through the girl's mind. In truth, Willow, still as sensitive as ever, had picked up on Buffy's discomfort and had guessed what it was that had given Angel his 'one moment'. But, being the well brought up girl she was; she kept her thoughts to herself.  
  
"Ok, I just wanted to clear that up. There are so many things I would like to ask you but I am guessing that time is getting short and we should really turn to the reason you are here." Rupert walked back over to the girls and sat down again. "So, what do we have to do?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	8. Chapter 9

Part 9 – Galway Ireland  
  
"You love him don't you?"  
  
Buffy looked at the girl beside her, the girl who resembled her best-friend so much that she felt an urge to tell her everything, how much it was hurting her to do this, how much she loved Angel…They were outside the tavern, waiting for Liam to come out. They were the distraction; Rupert was going to stake Darla.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Angelus."  
  
"Well…I…. Umm…"  
  
"You can tell me, I'm not going to say anything. If you truly share the same soul as Anne, you must have. She loved Liam and Liam is Angelus, so you must love him."  
  
"Angel. I love Angel, not Angelus. Angelus is the monster who takes over his body, no-one could love him."  
  
Buffy could feel the tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over, as she once again looked at her silver ring, the ring Angel had given her on her birthday, the day they thought he would have to leave…  
  
My people -- before I was changed -- they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a Claddaugh ring. The hands represent friendship; the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody. Like this.  
  
"If you love him so much, why did you come back? If he isn't sired tonight, you will never meet him; you realise that don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do!" Buffy looked at Willow angrily. "Don't you think I've thought about that? I love him with all my heart, all my being and soon he is going taken from me! How do you think that makes me feel? But I have to do this! There is no choice about it."  
  
"But why? You couldn't have him during Anne's lifetime, why sacrifice the time you have had together? If you love him so much you should have just forgotten the idea and let the past be the past."  
  
"And have the deaths of so many innocent people on my conscience for the rest of my life, all the time knowing that I could have stopped them? I don't think so! And if losing Angel is the consequence, I'm going to have to live with that. Besides, if we are truly soulmates…if we are MEANT to be together, then somehow, someway, we will."  
  
Willow looked at Buffy, all doubts about her flying from her head. This truly was Anne. She had the same strengths and the same weaknesses as the girl that Willow knew. She would do anything for anyone, no matter how hurt she got in the process. Even if it meant losing the one man she loved.  
  
Willow looked over Buffy's shoulder at the door of the tavern. There seemed to be a brawl going on inside. She looked back at Buffy, seeing the tears in her eyed. Her voice was quiet and gentle when she spoke again.  
  
"You have the choice to back out of this Buffy, but only a few minutes to make it."  
  
"I don't have a choice. I have to do this. At least I have the chance to say goodbye, no matter how hard it is." Even as she spoke, two young men got thrown out of the tavern, clearly drunk and clearly involved in the brawl. Buffy heard the noise behind her and turned around.  
  
"Well, here goes nothing!" She muttered under her breath. She took on last look at her Claddaugh ring and looked back up at the men. One had already passed out on the ground and the other was starting to walk down the ally…  
  
"No!"  
  
The young man turned around, startled. Buffy saw his face in the lamplight, the face of an angel…the face of her Angel. Without thinking she ran over and kissed him, feeling the electricity their kiss created, memories washing over her as tears ran down her face….  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Let's just say I'm a friend."  
  
"Yeah? Well maybe I don't want a friend!"  
  
"I didn't say I was yours!"  
  
"This isn't some fairytale. When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."  
  
"No. When you kiss me, I want to die."  
  
"I wish we could be regular kids."  
  
"I'll never be a kid."  
  
"Okay then, a regular kid and her cradle-robbing creature-of-the-night boyfriend."  
  
"This is nice. I like seeing you first thing in the morning."  
  
"It's bedtime for me."  
  
"Well, then I like seeing you at bedtime. Um... Um, heh... Y-you know what I mean."  
  
"I think so. What do you mean?"  
  
"I like seeing you. The part at the end of the night where we say good- bye... It's getting harder."  
  
"Yeah. It is."  
  
"Angel... I feel like I lost you... You're right, though. We can't be sure of anything."  
  
"Shhh. I..."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop."  
  
"Me, me, too. I can't either."  
  
"Buffy, maybe we shouldn't..."  
  
"Don't. Just kiss me."  
  
"Hello lover."  
  
"I don't have time for you."  
  
"You don't have a lot of time left"  
  
"What's happening Buffy?"  
  
"Shhh... It doesn't matter. I love you."  
  
"I love you..."  
  
"Close your eyes."  
  
And then the Slayer sends Angel, her one true love and a redeemed soul, straight to Hell.  
  
"You still my girl?"  
  
"Always."  
  
"I'm trying to do what's right here, okay? I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."  
  
"Heart? You have a heart? It isn't even beating!"  
  
"Don't."  
  
"Don't what? Don't love you? I'm sorry. You know what? I didn't know that I got a choice in that. I'm never gonna change. I can't change. I want my life to be with you."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"I saw you before you became the Slayer."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I watched you, and I saw you called. It was a bright afternoon out in front of your school. You walked down the steps... and... and I loved you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see. And I worried that it would be bruised or torn. And more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe... to warm it with my own."  
  
"That's beautiful. Or taken literally, incredibly gross."  
  
"I was just thinking that, too."  
  
"Stay with me?"  
  
"Forever, that's the whole point. I'll never leave, not even if you kill me."  
  
As Buffy pulled away, she glanced over Liam's shoulder just in time to see Rupert stake Darla. Knowing that she didn't have much time left before she would be drawn back to her own time she kissed Liam once more.  
  
"I love you" she whispered, tears running down her face, knowing that Liam had no idea what was going on. If she had only looked into his eyes, deep into his soul, she would have seen a glimpse of recognition, of his soul recognising hers and rejoicing…  
  
But she didn't. She turned back to face Willow and Giles wanting to thank them before she left. But before the words could leave her mouth, she noticed Alexander standing with them, stake in hand. She had no idea what he was doing there but felt glad that he was. She went to speak when she suddenly felt a tug, strong but gentle and knew her time was up. She looked at the group standing in front of her, the group that had helped her now, the group that would help her many times in the future.  
  
"We know." Willow looked at Buffy, a sad smile on her lips. "Goodbye"  
  
Buffy felt the tug, stronger this time, and before everything went black, she looked towards her Angel, her soulmate and the last thing she saw was his Claddaugh ring, matching the one he had given her, glinting in the moonlight…  
  
"I love you"…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	9. Chapter 10

Part 10 – Sunnydale, CA 2000  
  
Buffy walked up the stairs of Sunnydale College, her best friends next to her, talking about last night's slaying, or lack there-of. She sighed and turned to Willow.  
  
"I just wish something would happen, that's all. I mean, sure, there's been a little bit of excitement. The Master and the Mayor, but that's it! I just wish we would get some evil around here. Like, some real bad-ass vamps, wanting to take over the world, or send it to Hell or something. But no, all we get is a few newly risen vamps that have no idea what they are doing."  
  
"But isn't that good?" Willow looked confused. "I mean, if there's less evil, the less likely we are to die, right?"  
  
"I suppose, but…." Buffy's sentence suddenly cut off as she was pushed from behind. "Hey!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…I mean..."  
  
"Don't worry about it okay?" Buffy turned around indignantly to see who was the klutz who had tripped over and was face to face with a gorgeous young man, tall, dark and handsome, in an annoying sort of way…  
  
"Sorry. I'm Liam. Would you be able to tell me where room 316 is?"  
  
As Buffy looked back at the young man she felt a strange sort of recognition, like she knew him from somewhere, or should know him…  
  
"Umm, sure…this way."  
  
Liam followed the girl. She's the most beautiful creature I have ever seen…why do I have the feeling I know her?  
  
"Have we met?"  
  
THE END 


End file.
